Solar energy is the radiant light and heat from the Sun harnessed using a range of ever-evolving technologies such as solar heating, photovoltaics, solar thermal energy, solar architecture and artificial photosynthesis. It is an important source of renewable energy and its technologies are broadly characterized as either passive solar or active solar depending on the way they capture and distribute solar energy or convert it into solar power. Active solar techniques include the use of photovoltaic systems, concentrated solar power and solar water heating to harness the energy. Passive solar techniques include orienting a building to the Sun, selecting materials with favorable thermal mass or light dispersing properties, and designing spaces that naturally circulate air.
Photovoltaic cells, commonly referred to as solar cells, are electrical devices that convert incident light within their wavelength range of operation into electricity for immediate use or subsequent use through storage within a battery. Historically, two time-of-day dependent factors have complicated both the characterization of photovoltaic module and array performance and projected power generation in different deployment locations. These factors are the changes in the solar spectrum over the day and optical effects arising from solar angle-of-incidence. Accordingly, solar spectral irradiance (SSI) measurements are important for solar collector/photovoltaic panel efficiency and solar energy resource assessment. However, they are also important for scientific meteorological/climate observations and material testing research.
To date SSI measurements exploit modified scientific instruments based upon diffraction gratings and accordingly are generally defined by being bulky, expensive, and with low mechanical integrity for generalized deployment. Accordingly, it would be beneficial to provide a compact and cost-effective tool for accurately determining the global solar spectra as well as the global horizontal or tilted irradiances as part of on-site solar resource assessments and module performance characterization studies. It would be further beneficial for the tool to have no moving parts for mechanical and environment stability in open field, non-controlled deployments and to exploit software to resolve the global, direct and diffuse solar spectra from its measurements within the 280-4000 nm spectral range, in addition to major atmospheric processes, such as air mass, Rayleigh scattering, aerosol extinction, ozone and water vapour absorptions.
Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.